fish out
To reach in somewhere and pull something out, like a fish from water.
Meanings
To take or pull something out of a container, pocket, or bag after searching for it.
"She fished out her keys from the bottom of her enormous handbag."
"He fished out a crumpled piece of paper from his coat pocket."
— George Orwell, 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' (paraphrased narrative style, widely attributed)
To pull something or someone out of water.
"The firefighters managed to fish out the child who had fallen into the river."
To deplete a body of water of its fish through excessive fishing.
"The lake has been completely fished out and there's nothing left to catch."
Commonly used informally for retrieving small objects from bags, pockets, or water. Also used figuratively for 'extracting' information or a person from a situation. Widely used in both British and American English.
Commonly used with
Forms
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Synonyms
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